Spiders in Australia

[Tyrasanchez30]

Random topic I know
I have always dreamed of going once it's possible again after the travel restrictions, but I am terrified of spiders. Well most creepy-crawlies really, but those especially.

I know they're supposed to be much larger in Australia, realistically am I likely to find the huge ones in Sydney, Melbourne etc. Or are they mainly in the outback? I've heard stories of people coming home from work and a table-sized spider is on their wall I Sydney.
What's it really like?

Seriously, it isn’t the spiders you need to worry about in Australia. Everything is trying to kill you.

Birds swoop down and attack you. Seriously. Innocent little magpies in the U.K. are aggressive and vicious down under. They have hospitalised people in the past.

Go swimming and face sharks in Sydney or stingers in Cairns.

Drive away from the coast and count the roadkill. Possums, wombats and kangaroos on the side of the road. They all cause accidents as people swerve to avoid them but if you hit a kangaroo, there will be serious damage to your car and probably to you too.

Spiders are the least of your problems. 😁

Yes, there are spiders but in the main the big ones are not hiding in every shoe.

I live in an old house and when it rains the big girls come in occasionally...I know they are harmless but I'd prefer them to be harmless outside. Most people spray their houses as cockroaches are the reason the spiders there.

Australia also has some very delightful spiders like the peacock spiders that do little dances to woo their lady loves...who then eat them. None of this helps if you have a phobia bit they're quite fascinating...did you know they have green blood?

Yes we do get huntsmans in the house, and yes they can be as big as your hand, but they're quiet little things that are more petrified of you than you are of them! It's not like they're going to chase you down.
My favourite huntsman was an adorable 7-legged one living in my car engine. His name was Sticky, because he used to come out and run on my windscreen when I drive, and then when I would pick up speed, he would crouch down and stick to my windscreen, to make himself more aerodynamic I guess lol.

We also get white tails which are nasty, we get them inside.

Redbacks are nasty, they're usually outdoors in quiet low down spots of the garden, for eg I'd never go sticking my hands under an outdoor chair/table as they're usually there.

Funnel webs I've only ever seen when camping. Shoes always on when camping!

I agree that magpies are the evil little f*ckers that you have to be wary of!!

I'm not keen on spiders, but we get the house sprayed every year so seldom see them. When we viewed our house there was a fucking massive Golden Orb on the bedroom window, with a delightful trail of dead spiders lined up in the web that the orb had murdered and was keeping for snacks. I insisted it had to go if we were buying the house, and we nearly lost the house as the seller was a hippy who said the spider brought luck the house. . I was also bitten my a house spider IN MY SLEEP, my arm swelled up quite a bit, and I had to take antihistamine and antibiotics. But previous posters are correct, its the magpies you want to look out for! And the kookaburras, we used to have one that would steal sausages off the bbq, and then whack them against the gum tree to kill them before eating them. And don't get me started on blue ringed occys.

It's the magpies you want to look out for!

Oh yes, this! For bird-brains, magpies are quite intelligent and they remember the faces of people they are used to seeing, such as residents of a street. Those that live in bushland or large parks can be aggressive and territorial. DD and I were in the Glen Iris wetlands, in Melbs, and were lying on the grass when we found ourselves surrounded by a crescent of magpies. They didn't attack, they just stood their ground and stared at us menacingly. It was quite intimidating. My friend was attacked by magpies while cycling in the same park, and fell off her bike. Her poor face had bruises for three weeks.

Don't let any of this stop you from coming to Australia, OP, when borders reopen. There'll always be a courteous Aussie to help you withstand the wildlife.

Has anyone mentioned the size of the ants yet?

Ha! Another arachnophobe here - I almost moved out of a house in London during the 'spider season' (Sept-Oct). And never again did I live near a canal. Where I come from - we don't have them as big as I've seen in the UK. Some look like they could be someone's lost pet. I can't imagine spiders in Australia being that much worse but then - I'd never travel to the Amazonia because of that fear even though its a long standing dream of mine.

10 years in Sydney here.

Never seen a big spider in any of the homes I've lived in. Few times small ones.

The big cockroaches though in summer - they make me scream and cry !

Still wouldn't change it for the world. The most beautiful, amazing city I've lived in, with the friendliest people.

But I doubt you'll be coming to Australia any time soon, unfortunately.

We have just gone into lockdown after 50 Covid cases.

Did anyone see the video of the cassowary stalking people in QLD??

Most Australians live in built up areas or suburbia. You’ll see big hunter /huntsman spiders, but not much else. The flies, cockroaches and mosquitoes are bound to be more annoying than spiders if you get out into the bush.

If you do get out from Sydney or Melbourne, just shake your boots and shoes out before putting them in, and kick any logs or things lying on the ground before you pick them up.

You’ll be fine.

I grew up in Australia but have lived in the UK for decades and I still shake my shoes before putting them on. From Sydney area where funnel webs are rife and only saw one in a house once. Also got red belly black snakes nearby and used to see them crossing the road. When visiting family in Sydney I nearly stepped on scorpion in the kitchen. What about the flying crickets?

@MoppaSprings

Did anyone see the video of the cassowary stalking people in QLD??

At a swimming hole in FNQ, I saw one go into a bag and pull out some food!!!

There were warning signs for people to keep their distance but the cassowarys certain,y didn’t!

Huntsman spiders are harmless to humans but they are useful as they eat white tail spiders. The red back spider has a reputation of having a toxic bite but isn't aggressive. I've found them in the garage and shed but I move them away into the garden out of the way.

My mum lived in Western Australia - in the city I didn't see any spiders except red backs in her garage.

She moved to farmland and there were snakes and bugs there - I didn't visit but she said she'd bug bomb the house if I did go as - quote - "we get massive bugs and spiders here and you'd have a fit' ... 😵

I live in Australia and you will be absolutely fine having a holiday here!

I grew up in Australia but have lived in the UK for decades and I still shake my shoes before putting them on.

I’m in the UK and I have just watched my husband do this.

A couple of months ago he obviously didn’t, because he got an extremely painful spider bite on his toe.

I've spent a lot of time in Sydney, saw one redback which I promptly ran away from. No huntsman inside but did encounter them outside. Couldn't get into work once as a St Andrews Cross had made his web across the doorway. There was a snake on the beach but he was removed, saw more dead on the road than alive. There were several flying foxes who lived very near to my house, not dangerous, just disconcerting.

My biggest issues were the cockroaches. I had to remove a 'roach / beetle type thing once that was so big I heard it hit the pavement from two floors up when I threw it out.

There is a lovely FB page called Australian spider identification and its run by experts. I joined as I have a mild fear of spiders and now I've grown to really appreciate them. It's good therapy and I've learnt how they are actually quite beautiful!

In 13 years, I have never seen a giant spider. We live in Queensland.

It really is a myth. Australia is not the land of Aragog. Promise.

I do shakes my shoes too.

They are just spiders. I do my thing, they do theirs. The only time I have an issue is when they set the webs up across the driveway and I am the first one to walk up in the morning.

Any shoes outside get a good shake and check before putting on. Otherwise we just leave each other be.

All the huntsmans in my house know to stay above a certain height or they because crunchy kitty snacks.

There are plenty of Red Back and Funnel Web spiders in the Sydney area. But if you don't put your hands in dark, enclosed spaces or under garden furniture, or dig holes in your fernery/rockery then pop your bare hands in there, you should be fine.

I was scared before I went too. Wished I'd never googled! Was there for two years and only saw 4 huntsman spiders. Saw a few others, orb weavers. But they didn't move much. Just in massive webs between trees.
In all honesty, the house spiders in UK bother me much more!! Don't let it put you off.